


The Adventures of Team Echo Location

by Imestelomel



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Cleric Balderic, Druid Bindi, Familiar Cular, Fictober, Fictober 2020, Fighter FT, Fighter Indigo, Found Family, Inktober, Inktober 2020, Other, Rogue Aniket, Sorceror Bones, Team Bonding, Team Echo Location, Team as Family, Warlock Rowan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:22:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26764993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imestelomel/pseuds/Imestelomel
Summary: Alternately Titled:There Isn't a Door That's Stumped Us Yet!
Kudos: 6
Collections: Inktober 2020





	1. Fish

**Author's Note:**

> Team Echo Location:  
> Aasimar Druid Bindi  
> Human Rogue Aniket  
> Human Fighter Indigo  
> Warforged Fighter Unit Forty-Two (FT)  
> Goblin Sorceror Bones  
> Gnome Cleric Balderic  
> Human Warlock Rowan  
> Quasit Famiiar Cular (Rowan's)

“The key, of course, is to be patient.”

Aniket and Indigo nodded in unison as Balderic gestured widely, smoothly ducking as his homemade bamboo pole swung inches away from their faces. They were settled in on the banks of a small stream, where about an hour before Balderic had caught sight of a fish jumping out of the water to flip teasingly in the sun and he had loudly declared it was the perfect opportunity for a _lesson_.

Indigo leaned over slightly as Balderic continued on about the importance of grip and hand positioning on fishing poles. “Do you think he’s realized yet that I grew up in a fishing town and have probably done this before?”

Aniket suppressed a snort. “That ship may have sailed when he taught us how to identify the difference between a fishing hook and a needle.” She paused to examine her sword, then traded whetstones with Indigo silently before continuing to care for her weapon as the sharpshooter next to her continued to sharpen her arrowheads to deadly points. Rowan and Bones were a few feet away, setting up bedrolls and encircling the fire Bones had eagerly lit with stones.

“Now, pay attention, this is very important. You always have to give the fish time to bite. You can’t pull your line in too fast or they won’t even notice your bait at all!” A fishing pole once again swept through their field of view.

Indigo frowned. “But what if you leave it too long? Won’t the fish take your bait without you noticing and you won’t have anything left to tempt them?”

Balderic scoffed. “Nonsense! I’m a master at fishing, I _definitely_ would have noticed a fish taking my bait!”

She shrugged and had turned back to her arrows when a silvery glint caught her attention. 

It was a fish.

But, it wasn’t in the water. It was just...flopping on the ground. 

She nudged Aniket beside her, who’s head cocked to the side at the sight. As they both stared at the fish, waiting for it to reveal its secrets, another joined it. 

Their heads whipped around to the bend of the stream behind them, where a large tentacle silently slid back into the water. 

“Was that Bindi?” Aniket asked quietly as Bones pounced on the two fish, goblin claws nimbly securing them in place. 

“Who cares how it got here?” Bones dragged the fish over to the campfire. “We’ve got dinner!”

“Don’t be discouraged if it takes a bit of time to catch your first fish! Not everyone has the skill and know-how to be a master at fishing like me!” Balderic called over his shoulder, eyes focused on the stream. A third fish bounced onto the ground behind him, tossed by a tentacle.

“Something’s in the water,” Rowan said quietly as Cular suddenly appeared and pointed at the stream. They all turned and watched as FT emerged from the water, a large, full burlap sack in hand.

“What ya got there, FT?” Indigo leaned forward to peer inside the bag. 

“Well, Bindi and I heard Balderic speaking of his desire to catch a fish.” Another fish flew out of the water and onto the ground beside them as FT unfolded the top of the bag. “So Bindi became an octopus to catch a few fish for him, and I took this bag down with a few rations. Since I do not have to breathe, I sat at the bottom of the stream with the bag open and stayed very still until some fish came into the bag.” Indigo, Aniket, and Cular shifted back as FT dumped a dozen large trout onto the ground at their feet. “Now Balderic can rest and enjoy the fish he wanted without waiting for a long time.” His sky blue mechanical eyes observed each of them in turn. “Should I not have done that?”

They all stared wide-eyed at the pile. “That’s a lot of fish,” Bones whispered gleefully, already pulling one towards himself to begin gutting it. 

Bindi emerged from the water in her usual form, unbothered by the water dripping from her hides. “Hey,” she said, poking Balderic in the shoulder as he explained the pros and cons of worms as bait. “Come help us cook all of this.”

Balderic turned around and gaped at the bounty before him. “Who- who caught all this?”

“Balderic, Bindi and I have caught some fish for you!” FT spread his arms wide and presented the catch as Bindi joined Bones in cleaning the fish.

The gnome blinked. “FT, that’s a great job! Thank you!” FT beamed and turned away to help with dinner as Balderic turned to Aniket and Indigo. “See, my fishing expertise is invaluable! I mean, I taught him everything he knows!”


	2. Wisp

A sickening squelch filled the air as FT brought his hammer Lockpicker down into the center of the last gelatinous cube, stepping back to watch as the remnants of the ooze collapsed into a steaming pool. “Is everyone okay?”

“Mostly,” Balderic winced, his entire body smoking and various patches of skin blistering up. “Is anyone else hurting? I could heal most of us at once, I think.”

“I’d take some healing if you’re offering,” Aniket sighed, allowing herself to slump into a rickety wooden chair, the back of it mostly melted away.

“I think most of us need it, rea- _Bindi, no_!” Indigo waved her hands towards the corner of the shack, where a singed direwolf was relieving herself onto a bit of ooze, acidic smoke wisping up into the air.

A corner of the shed suddenly came into view as the cold pocket of darkness and stars around Rowan dissipated. “This place was falling apart before but we’ve really done a number on it.”

“I could burn it!” Everyone turned to see Bones with a large toothy grin.

The group turned to each other and slowly began to nod after a moment. “If we control the burn it might work,” Rowan mused.

“Actually, we’ve got some time before we have to be back in town.” Aniket had given up on the chair and moved to lean against the wall. “How about we take a rest here before we burn it?”

Bones sighed, “Yeah, sure.” He pointed a small green finger, smoke curling up from it. “But we’re having a bonfire later!”


	3. Bulky

“Okay,” Aniket whispered, the dim light of the tunnel obscuring her two companions, “If we go straight from here it should take us into the cellar storage room, if my intel is good. Once we get in we can take back the Heartstone and head right back to the group. Ready?”

Two soft hums of agreement answered her from the shadows. Taking her cue, she picked her way quietly around the puddles and loose stones that stood between them and their goal, pausing every once in a while to point out some particularly tricky foot placements. She really hoped the Heartstone was easily found. Given to them by a powerful seer, the jade stone was invaluable as it led one to their heart’s desire if used correctly. They couldn’t let it fall into the wrong hands.

They were nearly silent as they moved forward, the tunnel’s ceiling gradually dipping lower until Aniket was met with a small opening that looked little more than a foot high. She dropped to the floor and peered to the other side, seeing stacks of crates and barrels in a dark earthen room. “We’ll have to crawl,” she whispered over her shoulder. 

It was quick work to shimmy through to the other side. She took a moment to search for signs of enemies or a guard, and failing to find any she turned back to the entrance to help Bones stand. 

“Where do you think they’re keeping it?” he whispered hoarsly, eyes darting around the room. 

“Not sure. Take a look around, you see better in this light, but _don’t_ open anything until I check it over for traps.” The goblin nodded, darting off behind a line of barrels.

A sharp scraping sound suddenly came from the entrance, followed by a low whine. Aniket whirled around to see the outline of a wolf wedged into the opening, legs pinned to its side. “Bindi,” she said, voice steady and low, “please do not tell me your stuck.”

The wolf huffed loudly before attempting to shift around, claws scrambling against the dirt but finding no purchase.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Bindi answered with another whine as the sound of frantic scrambling legs came from the other side of the wall.

“Well, change back then.”

Another huff, this time with a definite tone of disdain to it.

“Oh, shit, this was your last shift of the day wasn’t it?” Aniket bit back a groan as she remembered Bindi’s plan to stay in her animal form until they returned to the group. The druid had spent most of her energy casting healing spells earlier that day in a harsh fight, but had volunteered to help retrieve the Heartstone in her last use of her favored wolf form. If she changed back now, she’d have no defenses if they encountered anyone on the way back. “Okay, just stay here until Bones and I find the stone.”

Her friend rolled her eyes as if to say ‘Where else am I going to go?’. Aniket took that as her cue to go and find Bones.

“Over here!” Aniket crept towards the voice and found the sorcerer carefully examining a heavy chest with an ornate lock. “I don’t see any magic on the lock, but there might be a mechanical trap.”

The rogue inspected the lock, her keen eye looking for anything to disarm. “No, just looks like a good lock. Give me a second here.” A flick of her wrist and her lockpicking tools were in her hands and working to open the chest a few seconds later. After a minute of carefully controlled movement the lock clicked open, and Aniket threw the chest open to reveal the stone and a few other shiny items. Bones quickly stepped in to help her toss the treasures into their bag of holding before scurrying back to the tunnel entrance and barking out a quiet laugh. It appeared Bindi had not made any headway in trying to wiggle free.

“Ok, Bindi, we’ve got to get you loose. Bones, help me push her.” They both began to push at her furry shoulders, trying to squeeze them past the narrowest point of the entrance, but she stayed wedged in the wall. Bindi whined, her eyes going wide with a bit of panic. “Just, hold on, we’ll get you free.” Aniket repositioned her hands. “Think thin thoughts.”

Bones suddenly perked up. “I think I hear someone. We need to _move_.”

Bindi began wiggling fiercely as Aniket and Bones gave a forceful push. For a second it seemed there was no give, until with a mad scramble she slipped back into the damp tunnel. “Quick, get in!” Aniket hissed.

They quickly plunged into the tunnel, picking themselves up and running, trading speed for stealth, until they reached a far bend in the tunnel and they propped themselves up against the walls to catch their breath.

“Next time,” Aniket said between gasps to the panting wolf, “You’re turning into a snake.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know, I've got several other things I need to work on, but I promise they aren't abandoned, just percolating in my brain. In the meantime, here are some Fictober prompts about my ongoing Dungeons & Dragons group! Enjoy my imaginings of our downtime shenanigans, and maybe some retellings of our adventures.
> 
> Remember to take a break to stretch, walk around, get some water, and roll out those tense shoulders! Self-care is important for everyone!


End file.
